The Basics of Sun Angles in the Garden ☀️
Summer solstice has come and gone! Gradually, our days get shorter, the sun travels lower in the sky, and our shadows get longer. Changes in sun angle like this can sometimes be overlooked in garden design, whether that be throughout the day or over the course of a year. A spot in your garden that gets six hours of sun in July might get only two by December. A bed that gets full sun at noon might be in deep shade by 3 p.m. Paying attention to these patterns can help you feel more connected to your surroundings AND be a more accomplished gardener, homesteader, foodscaper, etc. So, let’s get into it!
Observe Your Sun Angles
A good first step is research and observation. Consider apps and taking photos. There are apps like SunCalc and Sun Tracker that show the path of the sun over your property on any given day. Sun Tracker even lets you place a custom object on the map and watch how a shadow would be cast at any given time of the day. As for photos, pick a few key spots like garden beds, future planting zones, a corner that you don’t often get eyes on. You can document daily or monthly movement. Try to get a few within the day like, 8am, 12pm, 4pm.
If your goal is more-so to understand how your sunlight changes over the seasons then now is a great time to start observing! If you closely watch how light moves through your space between now and winter, you’ll get a solid inverse preview, basically a mirror image, of what to expect as the days lengthen again in the spring. The sun follows nearly the same path in peak spring as it does in peak fall (i.e. the spring and fall equinox).
Planting Tips
Now, you may be wondering how to turn your observations into smart planting decisions! Well, here are the basics to guide you… Disclaimer: this is written for our folks in the Northern Hemisphere!
Research Your Plant
Start by checking how much sun your plant actually wants:
- Full sun: 6+ hours of direct light
- Part sun/part shade: 3–6 hours
- Shade: less than 3 hours, often filtered or dappled
Southern facing?
You may have heard… “plant your sun-loving plants facing south” from someone along the way. But, why? In the summer, the sun rises in the northeast, arcs across to the south, and sets in the northwest. South-facing beds get consistent sun most of the day. West-facing beds get morning shade; east-facing ones get afternoon shade. North-facing beds can catch a bit of midday shade as the sun shifts southward in the sky. Of course, all of this is reliant on the structures surrounding your space! See next section…
Adjust for Shade and Structure
Look for things that cast shadows. Trees, shrubs, fences, tall walls, the house, the shed, the list goes on… All of these things can create micro-environments that might make you re-think your plant selection.
Use Tall Plants Strategically
Use taller plants like small trees, shrubs, native grasses, big perennial flowers like sunflowers to cast shade. For example, if you have a bed with some sensitive plants that you’d like to give some afternoon relief, plant your tall plants just west of the bed. As the sun moves into the western sky in the afternoon, you’ll cast shade eastward, giving those plants a break from the most intense heat of the day.
Observe and Adapt
Once planted, keep watching.
- If a plant gets leggy or leans toward the light, it probably needs more sun.
- If it scorches or wilts by midday, it might want more shade or afternoon protection.
- If things are going really poorly, you can consider a transplant, preferably during dormant season. A diagram showing how from winter to summer, the amount of sun a plant receives can change drastically.